I love going on weekend trips, especially when I want to escape the city life in Chicago. This is why I was looking for places with lots of nature and outdoor activities that are not too far from Chicago. Door County was always on my bucket list. People normally visit this area during fall season, but it is also popular for the lavender fields on Washington Island. I have always wanted to see the purple fields and this was the perfect opportunity. This is why we decided to book a weekend trip to Door County. Door County offers so much beauty and I highly recommend putting this place on your list. You will fall in love with the cute little picturesque towns along the coast of lake Michigan.
How long is the drive from Chicago?
Plan about 3 hours to Green Bay and another hour to Egg Harbor, Door County. Of course, it all depends on traffic but with lower traffic and less stops on the way it will take about 4 hours. This is how long it took us and we made one stop at a gas station.
Where to stay?
We booked a place through Airbnb in Egg Harbor because we wanted to be able to cook ourselves. Egg Harbor is a super cute little town in Door County that I highly recommend.
Where to eat?
Kitschiin
If you love smoothies, healthy juices and kombucha you need to visit Kitschiin. Such delicious smoothies and cookies! A must if you love healthy food!
Address: 10440 Orchard Dr, Sister Bay, WI 54234
Wild Tomato
Loved the vibes in this restaurant and the wood-fired oven pizzas are to die for. Make sure to put this on your list. They have two locations: Sister Bay and Fish Creek
Address: 10677 N Bay Shore Dr, Sister Bay, WI 54234
Chives Restaurant
The food at Chives was so yummy and so fresh – definitely more more pricey and fancy but worth it! We had mussels and fries and a salad. It was super tasty!
Address: 8041 WI-57, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202
Pelletier’s Restaurant & Fish Boil
Pelletier’s Restaurant & Fish Boil is famous for their traditional fish boil which is served daily from at 5:00pm, 6:00pm 7:00 or 8:00pm. We were there for lunch and just had some Wisconsin cheese curds, burgers and fries. It was good!
Address: 4199 Main St, Fish Creek, WI 54212
How to spend a weekend in Door County?
One of the main reasons why we visited Door County for a weekend during July was because of the lavender bloom. Taking photos with the purple flowers was always a dream of mine which is why I was head over heels when I discovered the Fragrant Isle lavender farm. Door County is definitely more than just the lavender farm on Washington Island. It has some beautiful beaches, cliffs, state parks, and the cutest little towns along the coastline. Fall season is supposed to be beautiful in Door County.
Washington Island
You can reach Washington Island by taking a ferry ride. Here is the schedule for the ferries that leave Northport Pier every 45 minutes. The ferry ride can be super bumpy because of all the waves. I personally get sea sick very easily and did not enjoy the ride 😀 But since it is only 30 minutes, it is totally doable. You have the option of taking your car on the boat, which we did because we wanted to flexible on Washington island. A roundtrip costs 27 dollars per vehicle plus additional 14 dollars per adult.
Lavender Fields – Fragrant Isle
After doing a lot of research on lavender farms in Wisconsin and Michigan, I came to the conclusion that Fragrant Isle seems to be the most beautiful one in the area around Chicago. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of lavender on this farm. It is nothing compared to Provence in South France, but it gives you a little touch of Provence in Wisconsin. I highly recommend visiting this farm if you love flowers and lavender. The whole farm is just so beautifully decorated and you can feel that it was created out of passion and love for lavender.
Fragrant Isle Lavender Farm is the largest single-site lavender grower in the Midwest. The farm is home to approximately 30,000 lavender plants with 14 different varieties of lavender. You can cut your own lavender and take it home as a souvenir as well shop at their store that has different products made out of lavender. They also offer lavender lemonade and ice cream. The entry to visit the lavender gardens is 5 dollars. If you spend 20 dollars at the store you wont have to pay the 5 dollars for the gardens though. Make sure to check the farm when visiting Door County for a weekend or longer in July/August.
Address: 1350 Airport Road, Washington Island, WI 54246
Trinity Church
Washington Island Stavkirke is a Stave Church located in Washington Island. It is owned and operated by Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. The church was created to reflect the Scandinavian heritage of Washington Island. The wooden trinity church is definitely a spot that you should not miss out on if you visit the island.
Address: Town Line Rd, Washington, WI 54246
School House Beach – Washington Island
The limestone beach makes a super cute spot for a photo with its clear and calm water and the nice views. We stopped there to take a couple of photos but did not stay too long because we did not want to miss the ferry back to Northport Pier.
Address: 1824 Washington Harbor Rd, Washington, WI 54246
Hardy Gallery
The Hardy Gallery is located in Ephraim on the way to Washington island, so you will pass the gallery on the way to the harbor. It is situated directly on the shore of Eagle Harbor and has been a pillar of the Door County art community since the mid-1900s. I really loved the building covered with graffiti. We visited the gallery for sunrise and loved it. Find more info on the gallery here.
Address: 3083 Anderson Ln, Ephraim, WI 54211
Boynton Chapel
The Boynton Chapel is a small wooden chapel Norwegian stave church style church built in a late 12th-century. It was Handcrafted by Winifred and Donald Boynton between 1939 and 1947 and is a popular site for weddings. We loved visiting the cute chapel and taking photos here.
Address: 7590 Boynton Lane, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202
Flower Truck
On our way back to our hotel we spotted this adorable flower truck and decided to stop here for a couple of photos. I loved how they turned out and think that it is worth stopping here 🙂
Address: 12026 Garrett Bay Rd, Ellison Bay, WI
Cave Point and Whitefish Dunes State Park
Probably my second favorite location and place in Door County. Just would have wished for more time here to explore the Cave Point State Park a little more. Unfortunately, we did not had time to visit the Whitefish Dunes Park but it is supposed to be really nice, so make sure to check it out. Plus, it is directly next to the Cave Point State Park. Plan at least half a day for both places. The Cave Point park is for free while you have to pay for the Whitefish Dunes State Park. Usually, you will have the option to choose between day and year passes, but when we visited only year passes were available.
Address: 5360 Schauer Rd, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Door County Trolley Parking
Do you love trolleys and always wanted to take photos with them? There is no need to look further. You will find a couple of trolleys parked there and it makes the the perfect spot for a photo.
Address: 8030 WI-42, Egg Harbor, WI 54209
Highway 42 Windy Road
The windy road is on highway 42 on the way to Northport Pier and must look spectacular in fall. Hope to visit and click a few shots there next time.
Finde more information here.
